On the Sun Never Sets Plaza, countless citizens heard the conversation between the two, their hearts filled with shock.
"I didn't!" Liang Chen roared, but his pale and weak appearance only deepened people's suspicion.
Liang Chen's weak defense was clear to him; he could still hear the City Lord's amplification device.
This meant that the entire plaza, tens of thousands of people, and peers from various major forces could hear their voices.
The reputation of the Liang family and Liang Chen, of being cowardly and evading battle, was now spread far and wide.
"How can there be such a person!"
"Truly timid as a mouse, and they call themselves an ability user."
"Bah..."
Countless citizens in the plaza spat in disgust at such behavior.
Most of them were relatives of martyrs.
They naturally looked down upon and despised such acts of desertion in the face of battle.
"Yu'er, that's enough," a bald man placed a hand on Jin Yu's shoulder, his voice filled with authority.
"The Liang family is, after all, a part of my Jin Yin Merchant House. No matter how much you dislike him, you shouldn't damage the merchant house's reputation in such a situation!"
Facing his father's admonishment, Jin Yu restrained himself slightly, but still said with a hint of depth:
"This time, our merchant house spent money and effort to quell the chaos, losing nearly a million taels of silver. In all of Nirbhaya City, which family dares to speak ill of us!"
"This brat, like a single rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel, deserves to be scolded!"
He spoke with conviction. If one didn't know better, they might think he had made some great contribution.
In reality, he had merely sat idly in the logistics warehouse all night.
...
Due to the large commotion, the head of the Jin Yin Merchant House, Jin Jiao, also noticed the disturbance.
He turned his bald head and asked in a deep voice:
"Liang Chen, did you really go to Fengqing Village that night?"
"Go... went."
Sensing the pressure from a third-stage ability user, Liang Chen stammered and could only tell the truth.
"Then, did you see that swordsman, or any other ability user with particularly strong abilities?"
This question even drew Yin Zhongxiu's attention.
He hadn't expected that someone would have gone to Fengqing Village that night, a place he himself wouldn't dare to send people to investigate easily.
Ever since he knew the swordsman lived in Fengqing Village, even though Xu Mu had died, he had only sent people to deliver a letter and had not appointed another night watchman.
The reason was that he didn't want to disturb the other party, which would lead to an unpleasant outcome. But now, someone had gone there, so he was extremely curious if Liang Chen had gathered any useful information.
"No, besides the night watchman, I didn't see any other ability users."
"Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had a verbal dispute with the night watchman of that village, and in a fit of anger, I left..."
Liang Chen said, lowering his head.
He omitted the part where he discovered Xu Mu's identity and his act of abandoning him. After all, Xu Mu was dead, and no one would ever know about it.
"Trash!"
Jin Jiao's face turned ashen. He had originally hoped to find some useful information from Liang Chen.
Ideally, he might have casually befriended the swordsman and maintained contact, thus bringing some glory to the Jin Yin Merchant House. With enough wealth, they might even be able to recruit someone who even Yin Zhongxiu would have to be wary of.
But he hadn't expected that someone under his own merchant house would have even quarreled with that person's disciple.
How could recruitment be discussed now!
Wu Ye snorted coldly after hearing this and glared fiercely at Liang Jue.
Even the militiamen, who were not ability users, had risked their lives and gone to Xishan.
An ability user of the first stage, who was only asked to guard grain facilities or assist in the outer defense of Xishan, dared not even do that, was he that afraid of death?
"We'll deal with your responsibility later. Let's talk about those who have made contributions first."
Wu Ye snorted coldly and then turned his head, clearing his throat.
His clear and steady voice spread throughout the plaza:
"Although we suffered heavy losses in the suppression of the Xishan rebellion, we can still consider it a victory."
"The fallen heroic souls and the surviving warriors deserve due rewards."
On the table placed before the man, a long scroll of names was already laid out. He lowered his head and read from it:
"For all heroic soldiers who died in this war, their relatives will receive compensation according to wartime regulations: thirty taels of silver and two hundred catties of animal pelts and grain."
"Regardless of life or death, those who achieve a Third-Class Merit will have their compensation increased by thirty percent, be awarded a military rank, and their descendants will have priority in schooling, with additional subsidies for business and medical care."
"Those who achieve a Second-Class Merit will have their compensation increased by eighty percent, and on top of the Third-Class Merit, an Awakening Fruit will be awarded."
"Those who achieve a First-Class Merit will receive a mansion in Nirbhaya City, a cultivation room, permanent healing privileges at the Tree Dwelling Clinic, and one hundred taels of gold!"
...
As Wu Ye spoke, gasps of astonishment erupted from both the plaza and the high platform.
"So rich," Xu Mu, who had been listless, immediately perked up upon hearing the words "one hundred taels of gold."
As a night watchman, his annual salary was less than a hundred taels of silver, which wasn't even enough for Charles to squander.
And a hundred taels of silver was equivalent to only five taels of gold.
In other words, these recipients of First-Class Merit had received twenty years of his salary all at once. This was truly a colossal sum of money!
Besides Xu Mu, the eyes of the other citizens were equally fervent.
What they most desired was the property in Nirbhaya City. While Nirbhaya City wasn't as expensive as the Imperial City, it was still a prominent city in the Ghost Night Domain, with extremely high prices.
Based on the income of ordinary citizens, even if they worked non-stop for a hundred years, they could only afford a small, dilapidated attic in a corner of Nirbhaya City.
"A bunch of bumpkins."
A burly man glanced at them disdainfully.
What he wanted was the cultivation room.
The area there was rich in spiritual energy, yet it wouldn't cause people to be infected and turn into ghouls. Cultivating there was twice as effective and was an essential place for mortals to awaken their abilities. Its value was no less than that of a mansion.
Unlike the commoners below, the ability users on the high platform were amazed by things unrelated to money.
Especially Liang Jue, who was wrapped in bandages, his eyes were almost bulging with envy.
It should be known that the founder of the Tree Dwelling Clinic was a fourth-stage plant ability user. Such a powerful individual could force anyone the King of Hell wanted to die in three watches to live until five watches. The value of this was by no means comparable to ordinary mansions and residences.
He, on the other hand, had spent all his fortune just by asking that person to help him for half a day at the Tree Dwelling Clinic.
However, it was worth it. His bones had been shattered before, and he had only been kept alive by pills. That person's intervention had brought him back from the brink of death, and he wouldn't even have any lingering injuries, as if he had been reborn.
First-Class Merit receiving such rewards, he was very curious who they were!
...
"There are only six recipients of First-Class Merit," Wu Ye continued after a pause, and the audience suddenly fell silent, all eyes fixed on the platform, filled with hope, as if they wanted to hear their names.
"Yin Zhongxiu, the Governor of the Exorcism Division, played a primary role in the battle at Xishan and sacrificed his life at the end to save several second-stage ability users. He deserves First-Class Merit."
Upon hearing his name, Yin Zhongxiu showed no signs of joy. His eyes, filled with wisdom and ferocity, now held a hint of melancholy.
He had saved so many second-stage ability users, but he hadn't saved the most crucial benefactor. What was the use?
"General Ji Chang of the Jin Qi Army, he led thirty thousand Jin Qi troops to block millions of ghouls for several hours, achieving victory against overwhelming odds. He deserves First-Class Merit."
The young man sitting on the high platform showed no emotional fluctuation upon hearing his name.
What was the meaning of achieving victory against overwhelming odds, or blocking for so many hours?
Out of the thirty thousand Jin Qi troops, fewer than three thousand survived. With such a casualty rate, how could he have the face to accept the award?
"I have failed the soldiers of the Jin Qi Army. I trouble City Lord Wu to convert this into silver and distribute it to the families of my subordinates."
He said.
Wu Ye nodded, as if he had expected this, and continued to announce:
"Roving cultivators Qing Mu and Lei Guan, they jointly intercepted a third-stage great demon, saving hundreds of tribesmen, and deserve First-Class Merit."
On the high platform, two cultivators sitting in wheelchairs waved their hands and thanked everyone.
"That's four."
Someone counted on their fingers, their expression tense. There were still two spots left, who would they be?
"Yin Shui'er of the Exorcism Division."
"With her abilities as a first-stage ability user, she held off a second-stage great demon, reducing the casualties of the villagers of Heya Village by hundreds. Afterwards, she even went to the central region to provide support. Her courage is commendable, and she deserves First-Class Merit."
"Impressive," an ability user praised the young girl.
With the strength of a first-stage ability user, she had managed to hold off two second-stage demon ghouls, buying time for the villagers of Heya Village to escape. No one knew how she had done it.
Furthermore, she had the courage to go and provide support to the central region of Xishan afterwards. This in itself was a remarkable feat.
Yin Shui'er sat silently in her seat, somewhat surprised.
Now five names for First-Class Merit had been read out.
Who was the last person?
"Don't get excited," Yin Zhongxiu patted Yin Shui'er's shoulder and whispered a reminder.
He knew who the last person was and was worried about the girl's situation.
The girl's face was blank, and she didn't quite understand what the man meant.
"The last recipient of First-Class Merit is also from the Exorcism Division."
"He is also a first-stage ability user, and he single-handedly killed a second-stage fox demon, saving countless villagers and the life of an ability user."
"His name is Xu Mu."
Boom!
Upon hearing this name, Yin Shui'er's head buzzed, her hands trembled, and her body involuntarily stood up.
So, it was him who killed the fox demon, and it had nothing to do with those two people from the Liang family. It was him who had saved her, killing that green-haired ghoul from afar.
But she, herself, had failed to save him!